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Construction at athletic complex on schedule, contractor says

Construction at the new Benton Athletic Complex is on schedule, according to information given to the Benton School Board on Monday night.
David Dominguez of Nabholz Construction said the bleachers are completed "and are all up except for the chairs."
"The building under the bleachers is done," he added.
He further noted that additional work at the site has included installing an elevator, completing masonry columns and decorative fencing.
"We're continuing concrete work," he said.
He also noted that the band structure has been relocated from C.W. Lewis Stadium to the new complex.
Panther football will be played in the new facility beginning with the fall term. The final game of the season was played at C.W. Lewis Stadium, also marking the end of the facility for use by the Benton Panther team.
"Everything is still on schedule," he said.
In response to a question from a board member, Dominguez said "about $95,000" remains in a contingency fund for the project.
"We don't expect to use it all," he said.
In other matters, Karla Neathery, director of instruction and curriculum, presented an update on the Common Core curriculum currently being used in the Benton School District.
She noted that as part of the curriculum, a Benton Junior High eighth-grade English class read a book titled "George vs. George," which was based on the Boston Tea Party.
Students were asked to write a rap song about the event, Neathery said, noting that it had to answer the following questions:
•Why were the colonists angry about the tax on tea?
•Did King George approve of the colonists dumping the tea?
•When did the Boston Tea Party happen?
•Who was involved.
•How much tea was dumped into the Boston harbor?
•How did the British react to the dumping of the tea?
Neathery also reviewed an art project involving students at Howard Perrin Elementary.
The project focused on western art and used tepee designs incorporating Native American symbols, she said.
"They did a great job," Neathery said.
She also noted that a school improvement update at Howard Perrin will include after-school tutoring for math with 30 students in the third, fourth and fifth grades. It is scheduled to begin Jan. 13 and will run for seven-eight weeks.
"We will provide transportation if needed for students, " she said.
Neathery explained that some students will work in the computer lab with Reflex math.
"Third-, fourth- and fifth-grade teachers will work with other students in small-group intervention for math," she said.